Pretty Bird
by mxchonne
Summary: Michonne is a college sophomore trying to figure her life out. She's been caught up on Rick Grimes ever since she was a freshman. Will he be a distraction or someone good for her? AU- College Rick and Michonne
1. Chapter 1

****A/N: Greetings fellow Richonners! This is my first Richonne fic. I'm so nervous! Lol. I hope someone out there enjoys it. As said in the description. This is a college AU fic. I know there are some out there, but I wanted to give it a go with my own writing. I thought it'd be fun!****

* * *

 _4:45 PM_

She had been staring at him for what seemed like forever. He walked into the campus library alone a few minutes ago and sat at the empty table right across from her. He was always usually with his group of friends that she knew as Glenn, Shane, and Daryl. They were all college seniors while she was only a sophomore.

She knew Rick from when he was her orientation leader during her freshman year and the crush she developed on him would not fade, even a year later. They had never really spoken, besides the time she was waiting in the pizza line in the cafe one day and he said "excuse me" as he reached across her to grab an empty plate.

Rick was currently intensely glaring at his laptop, looking as though he was struggling to understand whatever information he was reading. She watched as he exhaled and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. That's when he caught her eye.

She gasped and quickly looked away. _Shit. He thinks I'm some weirdo staring at him now._ Michonne shook her head at herself and rested her head on her hand as she looked down at the notebook that had nothing written on it. Was she really that caught up in Rick Grimes?

Peeking up after a couple seconds, she saw Rick still looking at her. She got nervous as she looked into those baby blue eyes from across the library room. He smiled at her and she smiled back, becoming even more nervous at the interaction they just had.

45 minutes later, Michonne grew tired and decided to pack up her stuff to get something to eat at the cafe. She texted her friend Sasha to see if she could meet up with her, but Sasha told her she was hanging out with her boyfriend Abraham, who was a senior at the university 15 minutes away from them. Michonne didn't have many friends at the school, as she always stayed to herself and was very reserved. Everyone seemed to always be a party animal and she wasn't interested in getting caught up with that. The only reason she connected with Sasha was because they were roommates during freshman year.

As Michonne put her backpack on her back, she saw Rick standing up, packing as well. She was about to walk past him when his voice stops her.

"Hey."

She whipped her head to him, and yes, he was talking to her. "H-hi," she stuttered and cleared her throat, her eyes wide at the fact that he was speaking to her.

"Heading out huh?"

"Yeah. I'm going to the cafe," she chuckled nervously.

"Oh yeah? Me too. My stomach was growling. I started gettin' embarrassed of how loud it was," he laughed.

"So that's what that weird noise was," Michonne teased.

"Oh man. Well, you meeting up with someone?" Rick asked.

She started dazing off, becoming so enraptured with his southern twang. It was so sexy, just like he was.

"You alright?" Rick said, bringing Michonne back earth.

"Uhh? OH! Yeah, I'm good and no I'm not meeting up with anyone. I was just gonna' get a to-go box."

"Oh, well, you wanna' go together? Eat in there?"

Michonne was surprised. Of course she wouldn't deny. "Yeah. Sure."

Rick put on a big goofy grin which Michonne found adorable. The two of them exited the library and made the trek to the campus student center where the cafe and other restaurants were at.

"I'm Rick by the way."

"I know. You were my orientation leader last year."

"Was I? I knew you looked familiar," he nodded.

"Michonne," she introduced herself.

"Mi-chonne," he pronounced. "That's pretty."

"Thanks," she giggled before catching herself for acting this way around him. Everything made her nervous. His presence. His height. That deep southern voice. _Get it together girl!_

They reached the student center and Rick held the door open for her and she thanked him, giving him points for being such a gentleman. She knew he was.

They found a empty table in the crowded cafe and set their backpacks down. Rick looked around, trying to find the shortest line while Michonne admired his profile. His jawline was precise and cut, showcasing his dimple. Head full of curls, she could just imagine how soft they must be.

"I think I'm gonna' try the pasta today," he announced.

"Yeah I like it," Michonne replied. They head to the line where they each get their own custom made pasta. They brought their plates back to their table and sat down across from one another. Michonne could not calm herself down. Being physically there, having dinner with Rick Grimes was making her sweat bullets!

"So, what's your major?" Rick questioned as they began to eat. His eyes were much more blue up close, and she could faint at the beauty.

"Uh. Pre-law. You're criminal justice right?"

Rick smiled. "Yeah. You remember that from the orientation?"

"Mhm," Michonne looked away from his pretty face and took a bite of her food.

On the other side of the table, Rick could tell she was a little nervous and he wondered if it was because of him. Well, he knew that was the reason. He did remember Michonne's face from the freshman orientation last year. They had never spoken before and he hardly saw her around campus. When he caught her staring at him in the library earlier, it amused him. He was used to girls doing that, and he usually paid them no mind. However, Michonne caught his attention as well.

"Are you always this quiet?" He wondered and she let out a sigh. She hated when people mentioned how quiet she was. Some people just liked to be left alone, and Michonne was one of those people.

"Well... I don't really know you. So yeah... I guess I'm quiet around people I don't know well," she stated. Rick felt her tone was a little defensive so he offered his apologies.

"Sorry. I was just wondering."

"Don't worry about it..." she assured him and looked around the cafe. She noticed a group of girls looking at her and frowned. Rick followed her gaze and sighed.

"Ahh. That's Lori and her friends."

Michonne turned back to Rick with a confused look. "Okay?"

"Yeah. If she's giving you a look or somethang just ignore it. She's real childish."

Michonne shrugged, never one to let some random girl bother her. "She your girlfriend or something?"

"No. I wouldn't say we were ever dating. It was-" Rick paused and looked at Michonne. Michonne raised a brow, urging for Rick to continue.

"Uh. W-well. We were just kinda' hooking up..."

"Kinda?" Michonne mimicked his accent unintentionally, causing Rick to chuckle.

"Well we were. Just a little while."

Michonne began to eat her food again. "It's really none of my business," she said. But, she couldn't wonder about how that happened. She knows Lori, as she is the RA in Sasha's dorm. There were many dorm activities that Michonne participated in with Sasha that Lori hosted. She played the nice sweet girl, but deep down, Michonne knew she was one of those spiteful chicks who smiles in your face but talks mad shit behind your back. She wondered why Rick would entertain someone like her.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why I told you that. I'm sorry if it was rude to bring up," Rick told her. Michonne felt weird being there having dinner with Rick now. Who just asks a random girl to eat at the cafe with them? Michonne quickly ate her food, not really talking to Rick. Despite the major crush she had on him, she didn't necessarily feel right being around him now.

Rick noticed the change in the dialogue he and Michonne were having and wondered what happened. He knew it had to be due to his mentioning of Lori and he scolded himself for that. Michonne got up to throw her plate in the bin and went back to the table to grab her backpack. Rick was bewildered. She was leaving without even letting him know.

"You're done?" He asked as he stood up with his half empty plate in his hand.

"Yeah. I'm gonna' head back to my dorm."

"Okay. Wait up. I'm gonna' go throw my plate away."

"Oh? Aren't you still eating?" Michonne looked at the pasta still left on his plate and then back up at him.

"Nah. It wasn't that good anyway. I might order me a pizza later. Hang on," Rick jogged to where the trash bin was and Michonne stood there awkwardly. She was trying to get away from Rick, not wanting to fall into a trap with him, and here he goes not getting a clue of what she was trying to do.

He came back to where she was standing and smiled. "So... are you staying in Quinn Hall? I stayed there when I was a freshman and sophomore."

"Yeah I am actually."

"Cool, mind if I walk you? It's startin' to get dark and the walk is pretty far."

"Um... Okay then," Michonne agreed. She pulled out her phone to text Sasha.

 ** _M: Hey I'm sending you this just in case this dude tries anything. I'm with Rick Grimes and he is walking me back to my dorm._**

Sasha texted back almost immediately. Michonne figured she was probably bored watching movies with Abraham if she had her phone on her.

 ** _S: Wait! THE Rick Grimes? The guy you've been talking about ever since our freshman orientation last year!? How the hell did this happen? And when?_**

 ** _S: OMG are you inviting him to your room_**

 ** _S: What about your roommate? Girl..._**

Michonne rolled her eyes at her friend's messages.

 ** _M: No Sasha. He's just walking me to the building and that's it. I will tell you about it later. I'm just letting you know just in case I come up missing somehow._**

 ** _S: Really Chonne? You think that cowboy has the capability to kidnap you? LOL!_**

 ** _M: You never know!_**

Rick glanced at Michonne, seeing her texting back on her phone until she puts it away. He guessed she was probably talking about him to one of her friends. He can't help but wonder if it was in a good or bad way. He put his hands in his pockets and kept stealing glances at Michonne. She was a very beautiful girl. The neck length locs she wore fit her perfectly and made her unique to him. She had on light blue jeans with a simple navy blue shirt and a pair of golden sandals.

"What classes are you takin' this year?" Rick began.

"Public Speaking, Human Rights, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Ethics."

"Wow, that's a lot to be takin' at one time," Rick commented.

"Yeah. I want to graduate on time." The walk to Michonne's dorm seemed 10 miles longer than usual.

"That's good then. I'm probably gonna' graduate a little late. I got behind on my classes."

"Oh really?" Michonne looked at him, she immediately saw the disappointment on his face and felt bad for him.

"Yeah. I just... I wished I didn't fuck up so much during my freshman and sophomore year. It really came back to bite me in the ass," Rick chuckled sadly. "Sorry, I ain't mean to cuss or nothang in front of you."

"It's fine. Not like I don't hear it everyday here," she smiled.

"Yeah. You're right."

They finally arrive at Michonne's dorm after about 10 minutes of walking. _Thank God,_ Michonne thought. Michonne stopped walking and turned to face Rick.

"Well, thanks for walking me. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome Michonne."

Michonne quickly closed her eyes and reopened. Him saying her name should not have this much of an effect on her. She nodded and began walking up the steps that led to the entrance of the dorms. Rick took the opportunity to gaze after her glorious ass. He didn't mean to be disrespectful, but it's so hard not to notice how amazing Michonne's body is.

"Hey Michonne!" Rick called out before she entered the building.

"Yeah?" She called back. Rick ran up the steps to where she stood.

"I forgot to ask. You gonna' be at the library tomorrow? Maybe we can help each other study?"

Michonne squinted. "You're a senior, and I'm a sophomore. We don't take the same classes. How are we gonna' help each other study?"

Rick chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahh, um. Well, Maybe we can study individually, but sit at the same table together?" He reasoned.

Michonne stared intensely at him, trying to figure out what his intentions were and why all of a sudden he wanted to hang out with her.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Whatcha' mean?"

"I mean... we've never spoken to each other before. Why are you trying to hang out with me now? If you think I'm someone you could try to hookup with think again because-"

"Hey woah," Rick put his hands up in defense. "It ain't nothang like that. I'm just- I don't know. I guess I'm just trynna' be nice to you. Is that so wrong?"

"No it's not, but... it's just weird how sudden this all is."

"College is about making friends too Michonne. You don't gotta' be serious all the time."

She rolled her eyes. If she had a dollar for how many times someone has told her that, she'd be rich. They stood in front of each other for a moment more before Rick shrugged.

"Alright. Well I'll take that as a no," he said, and started walking away.

 _Girl what are you doing!_ Michonne thought. She had been crushing on Rick Grimes longer than she has anyone and here he is, walking her to her dorm and speaking to her! And what does she do? Draw him away. She also realized it wasn't fair to judge him like she just did.

"Wait," Michonne called out, much to Rick's surprise. He stopped in his trek and faced her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude to you. Um, I am actually gonna' be at the library tomorrow so maybe I'll see you?"

Rick tried to hide the smile plastered on his face. "Yeah. Alright Michonne. See you then."

Michonne nodded and scanned her badge to enter the dorm building as Rick walked away. She took the elevator to the 14th floor where her dorm room was at. As she exited the elevator, she could hear loud ruckus coming from one of the rooms. She sighed as she got closer to her door and heard voices behind it.

Reluctantly, Michonne used her key to enter and saw her roommate and three other girls all spread out in the room.

"Oh what's up Mickey!"

Michonne groaned as her roommate, Jessie greeted her. She absolutely hated when the girl called her that, but Jessie could care less.

"Jessie, I've asked you repeatedly not to call me that," Michonne started.

"Oh I forget. Sorry," the blonde shrugged off.

Michonne hated rooming with her. She was supposed to be rooming with Sasha this semester but Sasha had trouble with her financial aid and wasn't able to register for housing on time. That left Michonne with a random roommate, Jessie.

Michonne put her backpack on her chair and sat at her desk. The room was really small and there was no sort of privacy. She could hear Jessie and her friends talking amongst themselves while Michonne tried to drain them out by putting in her earphones.

Soon enough, Jessie and her companions left and Michonne let out a sigh of relief. She used the opportunity to take some online quizzes that were due for her classes next week and to mark things off of her planner that she already completed.

Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to see Sasha calling her.

"Hey," Michonne sighed.

"Hey Chonne. So, you ready to give me the deets?" Sasha's voice said.

"About?"

"About Rick Grimes fool!"

Michonne chuckled. "Uh, it's nothing really. We were in the library earlier today and... I guess he caught me staring at him. Then he asked me to get dinner with him in the cafe. After that he walked me back to the dorm and that's it," Michonne explained, in the simplest manner.

"What? Why would he just randomly ask you to get dinner with him? I thought you two never spoke before?"

"We haven't. I don't know why he decided to do that today."

"So... What'd you two talk about? Is he nice?"

"We didn't talk that much. I kinda' started to ghost him, but he-"

"Why would you do that!?" Sasha screeched. Michonne rolled her eyes.

"I don't know! I just... he said something about your RA. Lori? You know they used to date or something. And I just thought he was looking for a random hookup and that he thought I was a potential girl he could do that with."

"Wow... Did he give you that kind of vibe?" Sasha asked softly.

"At first, but maybe I was in over my head. He actually does seem nice. I eventually told him we could sit at the same table tomorrow in the library."

"Oooo. Interesting! I can't believe this is happening. Now ya'll gonna' get married and have 3 babies."

"Oh stop it Sasha."

The other girl giggled on the other line while Michonne held a smile.

"Anyways, what are you doing? You're still with Abraham?"

"No," Sasha said. "He dropped me off just before I had called you."

"Oh nice."

"Yeah. Well I'll see you in our history class tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night." Michonne hung up and gathered her stuff to get ready for a shower. She couldn't help but think about her time spent with Rick Grimes today. He was even more gorgeous than she initially thought. She found herself a little excited about how tomorrow would go when she sees him in the campus library.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far! It makes me happy to get any kind of feedback!**

* * *

11:45 _AM_

Michonne entered her history class 15 minutes before class started. She always did that to ensure that she got the exact same seat every class, a third row seat that wasn't too close to the teacher, but wasn't too far back in the small auditorium like classroom.

She sat her backpack down in the seat next to hers as to save a seat for when Sasha came in. After pulling out her colorful notebook and iPad, she waited for the class to start filling in. Michonne's mind started to wander to when she would go to the library later today. Would Rick Grimes be there like he said? Would they actually sit together, maybe spark up more conversation like last time?

What kind of guy was he really? It was so awkward when he brought up Lori, and admittedly, it left a bad impression. However, Michonne still felt like he wasn't _that_ kind of guy. The kind of guy she ran into so many times during her two years at college that only tried to be nice to her to get in her pants. No, Rick was not like that, well, she hoped he wasn't.

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice her friend had arrived as well as the other students and the professor until she heard Sasha asking to borrow one of her purple pens.

"Yeah, here," Michonne said as she reached into her bag to pull out her pencil bag.

"Thanks sweetie," Sasha grinned and opened her folder.

The professor started the lecture immediately. Today's lesson was over the War of 1812. History was probably Michonne's least favorite class. The teacher's monotone voice and lack of enthusiasm made the class seem longer that it actually was. 30 minutes into the lecture, they students got into the groups to begin on a group project that was due at the end of the semester.

"How's your roommate situation Michonne?" Sasha asked once everyone was drawn to the own conversations.

Michonne rolled her eyes and scoffed. "She gets on my damn nerves Sasha."

"I really wish we could have roomed together this semester."

"Yeah me too."

"So… we still need to talk about your dinner date with Rick at the cafe yesterday."

Michonne chuckled lightly at the girl. "I thought we talked about it yesterday on the phone. And it wasn't a date."

"Yeah I know. Humor me."

"Well, like I said, he seems nice. Other than his mentioning of him hooking up with your RA, he's seems really cool."

"And hot!"

"Yeah that too," Michonne smiled shyly. "And… we might meet up today in the library."

"Really!? Why?"

"Per his request," Michonne shrugged, but deep down she was nervous and couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Michonne… do you know what this means?"

"Hmm?"

"He's into you girl. Or he might think you're cute. Well of course he does! You're just as hot as he is."

"Shhhh, lower your voice."

"Oh nobody's listening."

Michonne glanced around just to make sure before turning back to Sasha. "Why would he even like me? It's ridiculous."

"Chonne, don't start that. Just because that Shumpert guy you met freshman year was an asshole doesn't mean all guys are.

Michonne scoffed. Shumpert was a guy she met last year through Sasha's boyfriend Abraham. Shumpert and Abe went to the same college and when Sasha started dating Abe, she wanted to hook Michonne up with someone. Therefore, Shumpert came into the picture. He was nice at first, but one night when they were in his dorm to watch movies, he threw himself all over her. She had to push him off and he called her all kinds of names, that left her sobbing and walking home.

"This isn't about him! It's just… Rick seems like the complete opposite of me. He seems very social and outgoing whereas I'm just this shy and quiet weirdo. Like yesterday in the cafe he even commented about how quiet I was. I felt so awkward around him."

"Well you know they say opposites attract right?"

Michonne was never one to believe that. "That's what _they_ say, but whatever."

After history ended, Michonne went to her Criminal Law class and then finally, the library. She realized her and Rick didn't set up a specific time to meet, but assumed maybe they would be there the same time that they were yesterday.

She went to the usual table she sat and and didn't see Rick at the one in front of it. It was occupied by a group of girls in a study group. Michonne didn't want to admit she was disappointed, but she was.

She started to pull out her notebook and iPad when she heard that familiar southern voice. Her heart almost jumped out her chest.

"Michonne," Rick loudly whispered. She turned to see where his voice was coming from and she saw him waving at her from across the other side of the room. She hid her smile and put her notebook and iPad back in her bag and walked towards him.

"Hey," he smiled, his teeth white and sparkly. Michonne tried not to get lost in the baby blue eyes he was blessed with.

"Hi."

"I booked one of the study rooms. C'mon."

He led her to the elevator in the library to the third floor and they walked to one of the study rooms at the back of the library. He closed the door after he walked in and sat his backpack down on the table. Michonne followed.

"A study room?" Michonne said questioningly.

"Yeah. It can get loud on the first floor. You ain't notice?"

"Oh yeah I know. Yeah," Michonne replied nervously.

Rick looked at her still standing with her bag on and smiled. She was really cute, standing there all nervous.

"You can sit Michonne."

She cleared her throat as she scolded herself for acting weird and nervous. She sat down at the perpendicular to Rick at his right side.

He opened his laptop so Michonne pulled out her notebook and iPad again. The small room made it seem so much more intimate and awkward. Silence overtook the mood for a while before Rick let out a loud sigh, causing Michonne to glance at him curiously.

"Sorry," Rick shook his head. "This assignment doesn't make any sense to me."

"What's it about?" She inquired.

"Ahh, an essay about deviant behavior. I have to explain how deviant behavior behavior can have an effect on commitment and doin' good."

Michonne nodded as she listened to him. "Can I see the rubric?"

Rick turned his laptop over so that she can see his screen and Michonne giggled as she saw him having multiple browser windows open with the screens minimized. To top it off, he was using internet explorer.

"What's funny?" Rick asked, seeing the pretty smile on her face.

"Nothing. It's just… your windows are all minimized and you have about 10 of them open. Do you like using internet explorer or something?"

Rick stared at her and Michonne grew a little intimidated underneath his gaze. She hoped she didn't offend him.

"I have no idea what you just said. I just click on the little _e_ button and it takes me to the internet."

"Well uh, yeah. But… see," Michonne clicked the button to maximize his browser screen. "Now you can see the screen better."

Rick looked at his laptop and nodded his approval. "Thanks. That helps out a lot. I ain't had this thang long. It's a lil embarassin' that I don't really know how to work a laptop."

Michonne giggled. He seemed like he could act like old man. "Here, let me download google chrome for you."

After a few minutes of Michonne's tech work, google chrome was successfully download to Rick's laptop and she even helped him bookmark the school's Blackboard link so he could log onto his classes quicker.

"Good, Now log into your blackboard so I can see the rubric," Michonne requested politely.

Rick did as she asked and pushed his chair closer to her. The gesture caused Michonne to gulp and her face grew hot as she could smell whatever body wash he used that morning.

"Hmm, the requirements look pretty laid out. So basically you can write about how commitment involves energy, time, and effort, something deviant behavior lacks. People with deviant behavior act as if they have nothing to lose, whereas commitment is the opposite."

"Oh okay yeah. That makes more sense. You're a smart girl," Rick gave her that sexy adorable smile that made Michonne almost falter. She couldn't help but smile back.

Rick wasn't even worried about his essay now, all he could do was admire how pretty Michonne was up close. He stole glances at her every now and then the whole time they were in the small study room.

It was 5:50 now and Michonne's stomach informed her she was hungry by the gurgling noises it made. She looked over at Rick who was already looking at her of course.

"So I think I'm done with this for the day," she announced.

"Alright. You wanna' go grab dinner in the cafe again?" He was excited to eat with her and it showed.

"Well, I was going to go to that mexican restaurant down the street with my friend."

"Oh, okay. I can walk you back to your dorm. If you don't mind."

"Okay."

They exited the library and made the walk back to Michonne's dorm. Once they were outside the building, Rick told her he would see her around and they went their separate ways. He wasn't sure if he should get her number, since he didn't know much about her. She could have a boyfriend he didn't know about, but he was still determined to find more out about this girl.

* * *

"What's up Rick."

"Hey what's goin' on brother," Rick greeted as he saw Shane laying down on the bed. Shane had been his roommate and friends ever since their freshman year at the University.

"Shit. Nothin' much."

Rick chuckled and threw his backpack on the bed and then sat at his desk. Shane sat up and kicked his feet off the bed while looking at the back of Rick's head.

"What's up with you and that freshman girl I heard about?"

Rick turned around to face his friend. He knew he was asking about Michonne and knew he had heard about her from Lori.

"What freshman girl?"

"The one with the braid thangs in her hair. The black one."

Rick huffed. "She ain't a freshman. And what about her?"

"New fuck buddy?" Shane laughed while Rick glared at him.

"No. Stop listening to everythang Lori says."

"She said she saw you eatin' lunch with her in the cafe yesterday. Man she talked my ear off tellin' me to ask you are you hookin' up with some new girl who was a freshman. So what is it then?"

"Who's friend are you? Mine or Lori's?" Rick was agitated. Shane made him feel that way more often than he liked.

"You know the answer to that Rick. It's just… Lori seemed pretty upset about the whole thang. She acted like she caught you in the back of your car with the girl or some'n"

"Fuck Lori!" Rick blurted. He had stopped messing around with her a year ago and she still tried to weasel her way into his life. She even stalked and ran off the last girl he was trying to date.

Rick sighed and shook his head. "I wish she'd leave me alone already."

"Relax brother. Trust me, she'll move on eventually." Shane's voice grew solemn, which Rick chose to ignore for the time being. Rick knew Shane liked Lori, but he didn't know until after him and Lori broke up. He wasn't sure if Shane was still trying to win her over or not, but Rick felt like he probably was. He could only warn his friend about how Lori was.

A few minutes later, Shane left to go watch some movies in Glenn and Maggie's apartment a few doors over. Rick was thankful for the silence, knowing Shane would most likely be gone for the rest of the night.

Rick thought about Michonne. He wasn't sure what impulse he had that led him to talk to her. After catching her staring at him in the library yesterday, he became intrigued. She had beautiful big brown eyes and her skin was just as gorgeous as her face. The hairstyle she wore was unique and he found himself liking it a lot. Michonne was a very cute girl, Rick thought.

* * *

It had been two weeks later and Rick and Michonne "bumped" into each other in the library everyday. They went into the same study room Rick first brought them in and Michonne found herself relaxing more while around him.

"You ever been to that seafood place a couple blocks over?" Rick asked her.

"I have not. Is it any good?"

"Oh yeah. It's the best. They have the best crab legs I've ever tasted."

Michonne's eyes twinkled. "Crab legs sound amazing right now!"

Rick grinned. How was she this adorable? She seemed to be the whole package. Smart, gorgeous, sexy and funny. Rick found himself liking her a lot more as they spent more time with one another. He wanted to get to know her outside of this small study room they had been coming to for the past two weeks.

"Oh yeah? You wanna' go tonight?"

Michonne's face dropped, which Rick immediately realized. He hid his sigh, not wanting to hear her deny his request by telling him she had a boyfriend or something.

"Um… I don't know."

"Sorry. I didn't realize you had a boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Michonne frowned, confused.

Rick wanted to smile and cheer, but he did well to hide that emotion. Instead, he nodded. "Oh. Okay good. So what's wrong then?"

"I- I don't know. It's just…"

"Michonne, we're just two friends that are gonna' go enjoy a bunch of crab legs and whatever else you wanna' eat."

Michonne smiled at Rick. He was so nice to her, but they hardly knew each other. However, how could she expect to get to know him better if she didn't even accept his request to go out somewhere with him? This is what she had been wanting for a while. To get Rick Grimes' attention. She knew her crush on him would never fade as long as she saw him on the campus everyday like she did ever since freshman year. _Is this fate?_

"Let's do it then."

Rick pulled Michonne's chair out for her and waited for her to sit before he did. It surprised Michonne. She never knew guys close to her age could be such a gentleman.

After thanking him for his kindness, Michonne glanced over the menu while Rick peaked at her admirably. He wished he'd met Michonne sooner because he had definitely taken a liking to her. It amazed him how quick he was to like this girl he'd never spoken to two weeks before.

Michonne looked up to catch Rick's eyes. She blushed and smiled before looking back down at the menu in her hand. Rick already knew what he was going to order, as he'd come here many times with his boys.

"What's lookin' good for you?" He wondered after some time of silence.

Michonne put her menu down and looked around the restaurant. There were quite a number of people there. The restaurant was lit brightly and familiar pop songs played in the background.

"Well, I was thinking of getting the crab legs. But I also want to try their lemon buttered lobster tails. I don't know what to choose."

"You can get both," Rick offered.

"Nah. That's two entrees. I shouldn't eat all of that." She hated eating in front of people, and she couldn't eat two different entrees in front of Rick. Her mother always told her to be ladylike, and stuffing down her face was the opposite of that, no matter how hungry she was right now.

"Why not? I always order at least two entrees for myself when I go out to eat."

"Well, you're a guy so I'm not really surprised."

"You can eat as much as you want Michonne."

"I don't want you to see how I can really eat. I mean- I will clean my plates clean," she confessed with a chuckle.

"Well, all that eatin' looks good on you," Rick flirted. Michonne's face grew warm. She figured he had checked her out occasionally, but now she had confirmation. She loved her body, but sometimes she didn't like the attention it would get her. Guys would always catcall her on campus and some were even bold enough to reach out and touch her.

Rick saw Michonne look down and became embarrassed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't- I didn't mean to come off as disrespectful or nothang."

"It's fine Rick. So, since you insisted, I'm gonna' get the lobster tail and maybe we can both share an order of crab legs? What else are you getting?"

Rick let out a relieving breath and looked over the menu again. "I'm getting the crispy fried alligator."

"Mmmm," Michonne replied.

Rick quickly looked at her. If she knew any better, she would not be making those kind of noises. He cleared his throat and shifted.

Michonne continued to smile, oblivious to what was going on with Rick. Soon enough, the waiter arrived at the table and took their orders. While they waited for their food, the talked about the different kind of music they liked, their hobbies, and shared stories about their families.

After their food arrived, the two enjoyed their shared plate of crab legs. And their individual entrees. Michonne found herself getting to know Rick more, and she liked what she learned about him so far. He was the first in his family to go to college and wanted to be a high ranking police officer. He was from a small town called Kings County and his favorite dessert was banana pudding.

After the bellies were stuffed, Rick and Michonne walked back to Rick's car and got in. He turned on the AC, as it was a bit humid outside even though it was night time now. Rick turned the radio on and Daniel Caesar ft. H.E.R. _Best Part_ strummed through the speakers.

"Oh! I love this song!" Michonne exclaimed.

Rick smiled as Michonne swayed her head to the song. He had heard the song a few times before but he might have liked it even more since Michonne loved it. He drove them back to the campus and parked his truck in front of Michonne's dorm building.

"Thanks Rick. This was fun."

"Yeah it was. Maybe we can keep doing this again."

"Sure. I'd like that." Her voice was soft and warm. Rick studied her pretty face. Her lips were glossy and plump. He wanted to kiss her _so_ badly.

"Goodnight." Michonne opened the door and got out. Rick didn't even get a chance to respond because he was still in a daze. He watched her form as she headed up the stairs and entered her building.

"Night," he said smiling to himself as he put his car in drive.


End file.
